Matthew Perry once said that people would be shocked by his death, but they wouldn’t be surprised. I suppose he said this given the way that many people react to the death of someone who was either a recovering addict or a known addict. The fact that Matthew was the former of the two was as well known as the fact that he became famous for playing Chandler Bing. While many of us loved Chandler, we related to Matthew because of his openness with his struggles battling addiction as many people have either had the same battle personally or have a family member or friend that’s fought that battle.
Since hearing about Mattman’s untimely death last night (about 25 hours ago to be precise), I’ve thought a lot about him. This was in part due to listening to Friends while cleaning today, but it was mostly because in a lot of ways, I feel like I have lost a friend myself. Though we never met in person, from things like interviews and following him on Instagram, I found myself feeling connected on a personal level (much like it is easy to feel connected to a lot of people you friend/follow on social media). From what he put out there, he was very open about his battle with addiction and how he thought he could use his personal struggles to help others during their own fights with addiction. At one point he event turned his Malibu beach house into Perry House to give men who were starting their recovery journey a safe haven. I can’t think of a lot of people – celebrity or “normal guy” – who would be willing to do such a thing. Mattman was also very open about his 2018 health scare when he was given a 2% chance of survival after his colon burst and how looking at the colostomy bag was enough to keep him going on the recovery journey. He also truly believed that there was a reason God got him through this health scare, and he felt it was his mission to give others who were fighting addiction hope. This desire to spread hope led to the writing of his book and a script about his struggles. Imagine having a desire to spread hope after so much struggle just to survive! We could all stand to be a little more like that!
Whether you’re reading this as a general fan of Matthew Perry or a fan of Friends, I hope that you will take a moment of remembrance for Mattman and remember that he was more than Chandler Bing. As someone who didn’t grow up watching Friends (I wasn’t even a teenager when it started), yet grew up watching Friends, it can be hard to not want to focus on his legacy from the show standpoint. However, I will do my best to honor the man he was and the legacy of hope that he strived to pass forward. In a recent Instagram post, he said, “Sleep well everybody, I’ve got the city tonight – Mattman.” Tonight, he’s got all of us from above. Rest easy, Mattman!
XOXO,
The Great Kaysby
The Great Kaysby 